Fulton Armory honors the life of master barrel maker, Gene Barnett. Gene was instrumental in the early years of Fulton Armory, providing the first M1, M14 and AR barrels to bear our name. His steadfast commitment to excellence will be deeply missed. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends. He was born in Nashville and initially served as an Air Force aeromedical crewmember for the Tennessee Air National Guard. During this period of time, the All Guard Rifle and Pistol Team was based out of Nashville. Despite the fact Gene was never formally trained as a machinist, his acumen with working with metal could no longer be denied. As a result, he was brought into the armorer’s shop for the All Guard Team. Seeing opportunity, he began working part-time out of a garage to turn Douglas barrel blanks into a finished product. His barrels were blued, which made them easily recognizable. Many of the military teams as well as the DCM used his barrels, but none more so than the USMC. After retirement from the military, Gene moved his one-man shop location to accommodate larger orders. All of Gene’s barrels have one thing in common; he made every one of them himself and without the use of CNC machinery. A student of any technical blueprint, he relished the precision required to produce any object to specification, such as some Gas-Trap reproduction gas cylinders that he crafted. Later in his career, he also machined Douglas barrels for the MK-12 rifle used by Navy SEALs in the Global War on Terror.
Fulton Armory honors the life of master barrel maker, Gene Barnett. Gene was instrumental in the early years of Fulton Armory, providing the first M1, M14 and AR barrels to bear our name. His steadfast commitment to excellence will be deeply missed. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends. He was born in Nashville and initially served as an Air Force aeromedical crewmember for the Tennessee Air National Guard. During this period of time, the All Guard Rifle and Pistol Team was based out of Nashville. Despite the fact Gene was never formally trained as a machinist, his acumen with working with metal could no longer be denied. As a result, he was brought into the armorer’s shop for the All Guard Team. Seeing opportunity, he began working part-time out of a garage to turn Douglas barrel blanks into a finished product. His barrels were blued, which made them easily recognizable. Many of the military teams as well as the DCM used his barrels, but none more so than the USMC. After retirement from the military, Gene moved his one-man shop location to accommodate larger orders. All of Gene’s barrels have one thing in common; he made every one of them himself and without the use of CNC machinery. A student of any technical blueprint, he relished the precision required to produce any object to specification, such as some Gas-Trap reproduction gas cylinders that he crafted. Later in his career, he also machined Douglas barrels for the MK-12 rifle used by Navy SEALs in the Global War on Terror.